{ shredded beef colorado burrito} :: in the crockpot

This is an all-day-in-the-crockpot meat that turns out so tender, nothing but a fork is required.

Shredded Beef Colorado Burrito
(adapted from food-pusher)

Ingredients
2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 large can enchilada sauce (at least 19 oz)
3 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 can refried beans (optional)
5-7 burrito-sized flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Process
Season beef with salt and pepper.

Place beef, bouillon cubes, and enchilada sauce into a crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until meat is very tender.


Once beef is tender (flakes easily when stirred), heat refried beans and set oven to broil. Place a tortilla on an oven-proof plate or cookie sheet. Using a slotted spoon, place about 1/2 cup of meat onto tortilla, along with cheddar cheese and a spoonful or two of beans. Fold both ends in and roll tortilla into a burrito. Spoon some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the crock pot over the burrito and sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and chopped cilantro.

{ dulce de leche }

One of my favorite sweets in the world is leche quemada (burned milk) candy, available at the checkout counter at most mom & pop Tex Mex restaurants where I grew up. It's made from dulce de leche, or "candy of milk." It has such a sweet, distinctly creamy taste that so much reminds me of Friday nights in the summertime and being a bit tipsy on margaritas.

Dulce de leche couldn't be easier to make, especially when made in the crockpot (yes, the crockpot). The most difficult part of the entire process was finding which aisle stocked the mason jars at my local grocery store.

Countless recipes call for dulce de leche, and each is likely worth the time. So having a jar or two on hand is a great plan. An even better plan is sticking a spoon into the dulce de leche jar at 11:30 p.m. when you can't fall asleep ... and are craving something sweet.

Just sayin'.

Dulce de Leche
Ingredients

• 3 14-oz cans sweetened condensed milk.

(yep! that's it!)

Process
Open cans of condensed milk and pour each into a pint-sized glass mason jar.

Secure the lid of each jar and place in the crockpot.

Fill the crockpot with water to just above the point at the jars where the cream is topped. Place the lid on the crockpot.

Heat milk jars on low for 8-10 hours (the longer the cooking process, the more solid the dulce de leche) -- I actually cooked mine overnight.


Once process is complete, the consistency will be thick. In order to thin the dulce de leche to use as a dip or sauce, spoon into a dish and add milk or cream. Slowly heat (the microwave works just fine) and whisk until desired consistency is reached.

{ shredded beef tacos }

We're Texans and we enjoy Tex Mex food ... a whole lot. But up here in New England, the opportunity to just pop into any ol' restaurant for a decent fix of the good stuff is, so far, an impossibility. We basically have to make do with whatever we can whip up ourselves.

Tacos are an obvious (and predictable) member of the Tex Mex culinary family. But eventually, ground meat tacos begin to lose their appeal. So when I stumbled across a recipe for shredded beef tacos, I jumped on it.


For a weekday meal, it fits my number one criteria: ease in making. And a total added bonus is that, since it sits in the crockpot all day, it makes the whole house smell amazingly delicious.

It's such a nice taco change in the midst of a Tex Mex nowhere land (or anywhere else, for that matter).

Shredded Beef Tacos
(adapted from CookingClassy)

Ingredients

• 1 (2 1/2 lb) chuck roast
• 1 (14 oz) can beef broth
• 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• Juice of 1 lime

Process

In a small bowl whisk together chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Place roast in a slow cooker, pour beef broth over roast then squeeze with fresh lime juice. Sprinkle roast with spice mixture. Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low heat for approximately 8 hours, or until the meat falls apart when poked with a fork.

Remove roast from slow cooker and place on cutting board. Remove fat, and shred beef with a fork. Return shredded beef to slow cooker. Cover with lid and cook additional 30 minutes.

Remove beef from slow cooker with a slotted spoon and transfer to a serving bowl or platter.

Serve with tortillas and desired toppings.